Fundado em 1899, tem uma área de 148 hectares e é administrado pela Sociedade Zoológica com suporte financeiro da cidade e do governo.
O Zoológico do Bronx, em Nova York (EUA), é o lar de mais de quatro mil espécies animais do mundo inteiro, incluindo algumas ameaçadas de extinção.
O zoológico promove programas de reprodução de animais em cativeiro e realiza pesquisas sobre vida selvagem. A área do parque é de mais de um quilômetro quadrado, o que faz do zoológico do Bronx o maior parque de preservação animal em perímetro urbano dos EUA.
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James XII, a baby Rothschild’s giraffe, arrived exactly on his mother Clara's due date – just 465 days from conception! He’s the ninth offspring for Clara, a mature mother in "giraffe years" at 27 years old.
At birth, our tall blonde baby weighed approximately 140 pounds and measured 5 feet, 5 inches tall. Growing about an inch a day, he surpassed 6 feet by early January.
Senior Keeper Joan McCabe-Parodi notes his growth against an African savanna landscape painted on the back wall of the Carter Giraffe Building and on January 9, James XII reached the top of the tallest tree on the mural.
Now, Joan says, his head really is in the clouds! Eventually, an adult male giraffe can reach a daunting 18 feet tall Adult bulls, as the males are called, can also weigh in around two tons or 4,000 pounds.
Despite being the world's tallest animal, giraffes have the same number of vertebrae as humans – seven. Their tongue, used to lasso and pull leaves from trees, can be up to 18 inches long. In nature, adult giraffes eat leaves almost exclusively.
James XII will nurse for about a year – initially mimicking the eating behavior of adults in his herd and eventually adding leaves and alfalfa to his diet. Adult males eat about two percent of their body weight every day.
The Rothschild's giraffe, found in Kenya and parts of Uganda, is among the rarest of nine subspecies of giraffe, according to James Doherty, Bronx Zoo General Curator. These subspecies are distinguished mainly by fur pattern and geographical distribution.
Visitors can see James XII with his mother, Clara, inside the Carter Giraffe Building. In warmer weather, they’ll join the rest of the Zoo’s herd outside on the African Plains.
Carter Giraffe Building – African murals serve as backdrop in this skylit winter home for giraffes and meerkats. Duikers and Lovebirds are the newest additions to this exhibit. Seasonally, giraffe, okapi, and cheetah can be seen outdoors.
Abaixo (lado esquerdo), foto extraída do site oficial. Do lado direito: fêmea adulta da subespécie girafa-baringo fotografada em Outubro de 2000 no Zoológico do Bronx. © Copyright Brent Huffman (2000) – Fonte: http://www.ultimateungulate.com/
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Neste parque existem girafas da subespécie Rothschildi
(Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi)
Wildlife Conservation Society coopera com o projeto:
Girafa no Noroeste do Deserto
da Namíbia!
Abaixo, capa em formato de box que acondiciona uma coleção de cartões-postais publicada por N. Y. Zoological Society, cujas 24 imagens mostram aspectos e animais do Bronx Zoo. Numeração: K9051/K9075, falta o K9069...
Baby Chimpanzee (51), Lion Island – African Plains (52), Gibbon and Baby (53), Camel Ride Track (54), Brown Pelicans (55), Giant Galapagos Tortoise (56), American Elk or Wapiti (57), African Black Rhinoceros (58), Young African Elephants (59), Hyacinthine Macaw (60), Giant Pandas (61), The Rare Okapi (K9062), cartão-postal abaixo com a entrada da planície africana (63), Bongo Antelope (64), Leopard (65), Aoudad and Baby (66), Grant's Zebra and Nany (67), Red Kangaroo (68), cartão-postal que falta (69), Cock-of-the-Rock ou galo-da-serra (70), Babies – Two Lions and a Tiger (71), Looking Across African Plains (72), Where the Sealions Swin and Dive (73), cartão-postal abaixo com o portão de entrada (74) e Toco Toucan (75).
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Rainey Gate, Main Entrance to the New York Zoological Park (K9074).
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Entrance to African Plains, New York Zoological Park (K9063).
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Wildlife Conservation Society
Wildlife Conservation Park and St Cathrines Wildlife Survival Center
Endereço: 185th St. & Southern Blvd. 10460-1099 Bronx – NY – USA
http://www.bronxzoo.com/ – http://www.wcs.org/
Nota: Veja a folhinha emitida por Dominica!
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Última atualização: 03/11/2008. |
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